A completely automated apparatus (10) for verifying the identity and geometry of drill bits, re-sharpening the cutting tip of a drill bit and re-positioning a locating ring upon the shank portion of the drill bit subsequent to the re-sharpening of the cutting tip thereof. The apparatus comprises a housing having a pair of cassette trays (54), a pair of primary cleaning assemblies (80), a pair of secondary cleaning assemblies (18), a pair of inversion assemblies (85), a pair of workhead assemblies (96), a bumping assembly (146), and a loader assembly (62) attached thereto. The workhead and loader assemblies are used to transport drill bits between the cassette trays and other assemblies in a selected sequence which is controlled and coordinated by a programmable control device. The control device is electrically interfaced to each of the assemblies and allows the cutting tip re-sharpening and locating ring re-positioning processes to be conducted simultaneously on at least two drill bits. |